At some point in the mid-80’s Prime Minister Mitchell called, he wanted to tell me about his meeting with some head honchos from the Wind Star Cruises line. Mr. Mitchell had liked my paper on “The Pros and Cons of the Cruise Ship Industry on Bequia”, especially the part encouraging the visits of smaller vessels to the Island, and wanted to discuss the Wind Star and the Wind Spirit with me. The two ships had been mentioned favorably in my report; although they were large sailing vessels they carried fewer passengers than the big cruise ships and usually spent 24 hours in port. As a result the passengers as well as the crew got to know and love the Island and they also spent money ashore.
Mr. Mitchell had met with a delegation from the Wind Star Cruises’ head office in Seattle, they had traveled to St. Vincent to discuss the possibility of both the Wind Star and the Wind Spirit making weekly calls to Bequia. Mr. Mitchell recalled the comments I had made about those two particular ships and was more than happy to encourage such regular port visits. However, he told the delegation that they would have to use a local agent – with such frequent calls to Bequia a person familiar with the Island was necessary to deal with customs and immigration clearances as well as excursions for the passengers..
I responded enthusiastically until Mr. Mitchell told me that I was now a Port Agent. A WHAT? Without my assent he had volunteered my services to the cruise ship line, and I was expected to meet with the delegation at the Frangipani the following day. I objected strenuously, I was far too busy and stressed during the tourist season; I was already dealing with two small schoolchildren, a busy restaurant, the Tourism Committee and the Junior Sailing Club. I definitely didn’t need or want further responsibilities! Mr. Mitchell said, “Judy, it’s time someone taught these cruise ships how to spend money. You will organize excursions for the passengers and make sure the port calls are hassle-free. It won’t take up much of your day and they will pay for your services as port agent. You are meeting the people tomorrow at 3:00”. And that was that, or so he thought!
The next day I made my way to the Frangipani with every intention of telling the cruise ship personnel that I was not available. I knew nothing about clearing cruise ships with customs and Immigration and didn’t have the time or the inclination to organize tours for their passengers. I met with the CEO of Wind Star Cruises, a charming Dutchman named Captain Koopman. Accompanying him was the Captain of the Wind Star, Kaj Haagensen, a patient soft-spoken Norwegian who was destined to become a good friend. The ship’s Purser was there as well, a friendly woman named Erin from Juneau, Alaska. When they realized I was trying to turn down their offer they assured me that there was very little to being a port agent, and that they would go out of their way to make the job a painless one. The money they offered to pay me was a huge consideration, Mac and I were trying to save money to build our first home and the added income would certainly be of help. By the end of the meeting I had agreed to become their agent, at which point I was told I would need to get a fax machine.
A what? I had never heard of a fax machine and went straight to Son Mitchell. He told me that it was a magical machine, he had recently seen one in action at the Bequia Beach Club. You simply slipped your letter into the machine, punched in a number, and within a minute the sheet of paper would miraculously appear in France, England, Germany or wherever you were sending the message. I went to the mainland in search of one, and was thrilled to discover that Cable and Wireless had just started selling the machines. I promptly bought one and took the Island’s second fax machine home to Bequia.
Mac and I stood over the new machine as I sent a fax to Captain Koopman in Seattle. It made all kinds of funny noises, then the paper started to move through the machine, making a loud “click” when it stopped. We were unsure if it had actually gone through, to tell the truth it seemed kind of freaky! Not long afterwards the machine made more funny sounds and a fax came through from Seattle. Wow, how cool was that? What an amazing invention! Mac and I were totally blown away.
Now, more than three decades later, if someone asks me to send them a fax I look at them in amazement. What kind of dinosaur uses a fax machine in this day and age? Modern technology has advanced at such a fast pace that a fax machine is pretty much obsolete, but when I used one for the very first time it was downright magical.